Electric switch



J W. HEARN. ELECTRIC SWITCH.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

We NW 7 M N? J waww/ w mmi M M 2 W P W f. ean STATES JOHN IV. HEARN, OFBROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 543,181, dated July23, 1895.

Application filed October 3. 1 893- Serial No. 487,072. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN W. HEARN, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in electric switches, and moreparticularly for use on electric roads employing the trolley system, theobject being'to so construct and arrange the switch and its severalparts that it may be controlled by thesame lever which operates thecar-motor and thus be moved in either direction without the necessity ofattaching to the car any additional fixtures and without necessitatingthe motorman to give his care or attention to any lever or levers otherthan those already secured to the car;

With this and other ends in view my invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction and combinations of parts whereby the switch ismoved in either direc tion by means of a magnet or magnets placed belowthe track and excited by means ofthe current passing from thetro1ley-wire through the car-motor and wheels and through the car-rails,as hereinafter fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a part of atrack with its switch, the paving-blocks between the rails being removedin order to show the attachment of the wires leading therefrom to themagnet. Fig.

. 2, and Fig. 5 is an'outline of a trolley car.

Referring to the drawings, A A and B B represent sections of thecar-rails, which are completely insulated from each other and from theother rails in any desired manner; 0 O, the switch-rails, and D theswitch-tongue. In the present instance these trackrails are arranged'forthe useor accommodation of trolley cars, E representing the ground-wireto which the rails, as ordinarily laid, are electrically connected.

Below the surface of the ground, and near the switch to be operated, isformed a well or receptacle F, preferably made of some nonby means ofthe wire 0.

erwise loosely connected at its center and ar-' ranged to rotate androck in or upon the bearing d, said lever at one end having pivotedthereto one end of an armature G and at the other end an armature H, theopposite'en'ds of said armature being pivoted to some part of thereceptacle F-y-as, for instance, the cover or lid c, as shown in Fig. 2of the drawings.

Formed on or secured to the switch-tongue D is a pin or bolt k passingdown into the receptacleand into a slot Z, formed in thelever I foritsreception, this slot, like the slot d formed in the central portionof the lever,

being slightly elongated in order to allow of a slight rocking ortilting thereof, this connection of the switch-tongue and lever I, by

means of said pin or bolt is, causing the rotation or movement of thelatter to be communicated to the former, and in order to properlybalance the two parts and allow said switchtongue to be moved with aslittle friction as possible I place upon said lever a weight m, whichmay be moved on said lever and tightly secured at its-proper point toaccomplish that purpose.

Having described the construction and an rangement of the several parts,I will now proceed to describe the modus operandi.

The electric current used for propelling the car is, as is well known,passed through the trolley-wire n, pole 0, and through .the car-motorand car-wheels. The car passing on to the insulated sections A A oftherails excites the magnet G, the current passing from said insulatedsections A A to the magnet through the wire I), the excitement of thismagnet-G causing its armature G to be pulled toward the same, thismovement of the armature being communicated throughthe lever I and pinIt to the switch-tongue, thereby setting it in such position as to allowthe car to run on to the switch-rails C, it being understood, of

course, that the current will be shut off by the motorman while the caris passing over theinsulated sections B B of the rails,'in order thatthe magnet H will not be excited and cause the switch to again be pulledin the opposite tions B B the magnet H will become excited,- the currentpassing from the car Wheels through said rails and wire 0. Theexcitement of this magnet will cause the armature H to be drawn towardits magnet H, the movement of this armature being communicated to theswitch-tongue through the lever I and pin 70 and causing theswitch-tongue to be so set as to allow the car to proceed on the mainline. In other words, it it be desired to set the switch-tongue to allowthe car to pass on to the switch, the motorman has simply to cutoff thecurrent which propels the car while passing over the insulated sectionsof the rails B B, and if it be desired to continue along the main linethe current is kept on, the momentum in the first instance carrying thecar over the insulated sections B B, and in the latter instance theswitch-tongue being pulled first in one direction While the car ispassing over the sections A A, and in the opposite and proper directionas soon as the car passes on to the sections B B.

It will noW be understood that my invention is exceedingly simple in itsconstruction and operation, the complicated devices heretofore attachedeither to the car or placed within the receptacle being dispensed with.No additional parts to the car are required, it only being necessary forthe motorman to cutoff the current while passing over a small section ofthe rails to set the switch-tongue for the switch, and absolutelynothing being required of him in case the car is to proceed on the mainline.

It will be obvious that many changes might be made in the constructionand arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of myinvention-as, for instance, the sections A might be electricallyconnected-with the magnet I-I instead of the magnet G and the sections Bconnected with the magnet G instead of the magnet H, thereby reversingthe operation of the switch-tonguethat is, when the car is to turn intothe switch the motorman will simply keep the current on while passingover both sections, and in case it is desired to send the car along themain line the motorman will cut the current off while passing over thesection B. It is also obvious to those skilled in the art that theinvention may also be utilized in connection with cars employing thestorage-battery system. I would, therefore, have it understood-that I donot limit my invention to the exact construction and arrangement ofpartsas above described; but

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In an electric switch, the combination with the insulated rails A, B,magnets G, H, connected with said rails and with a ground wire, a switchtongue D, indirectly connected with armatures G, H, the several partsbeing constructed and arranged substantially as described, whereby theswitch is operated by the current which propels the car, substantiallyas described. t

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this th day of September, A. D. 1893.

, JOHN W. HEARN. Witnesses:

B. P. STRATTON,

JoHN T. MORGAN.

